The present application is directed to the field of robotics and, more specifically, to a compensation device positioned between a robot and a robotic tool.
Robots are widely utilized in industrial assembly line applications to perform repetitive tasks very precisely without the need for human operation, interaction, or supervision. For example, robots are commonly used in the automotive industry to perform a number of tasks such as material handling and spot-welding of automobile bodies. To amortize the considerable cost of an industrial robot over a variety of tasks, the robot arm is typically separate from a diverse array of tools, which are removably attached to the end of the robot arm.
The robotic tool may encounter obstacles as it performs its various functions. To accommodate a variety of applications, the robotic tool may be designed to “give” or flex, thus providing the tool with a limited amount of freedom of movement when it encounters an obstacle or exerts a torque. This flexibility is referred to as “compliance.” The amount of compliance may vary depending upon the context of use, the robot, and/or the robotic tool.
Because an obstacle can exert different forces on the robotic tool depending upon where the two come into contact, it is desirable for the robotic tool to provide compliance in several directions (e.g., in the x, y, and z directions). Additionally, because the environments in which robots are used are sometimes hostile and unsafe for humans, it is also desirable for the robotic tool to be capable of automatically returning to its original home position, or “resetting,” when the overload condition no longer exists, without the need for human intervention. Thus, it is desirable for the system to be capable of resetting itself, regardless of whether the overload condition was due to linear or rotational movement.